2 ingredient pore strips/face peel alternative

I thought I'd give this internet wonder a try today because Chris is working (yes, they're working all weekend on base, yay annual inspections! bitch bitch, grumble grumble) and he won't be here to be scared of my rather icky looking face peel. This stuff works quite well, especially if you've practiced I'd imagine - that's right, dive right into a tutorial about it with no practice runs, that's me! But hey, I'm tired of seeing pins about how great such-and-such is, when you need to be nearly an expert to get it right. If I can't manage it well enough to teach someone else the first go-round, is it really worth doing it?

There are lots of good reasons to make your own peel at home rather than buying one: cost, as this is dirt cheap, no weird chemicals on your face- I absorb science like a sponge and yet there are so many ingredients in commercial peels that leave me going wtf iz that??!... sure they're PROBABLY at least ok in small exposures, but WHY? Why subject yourself if the alternative works just as well? Also... science is now finding out that all those alpha-hydroxy acids aren't so very good for your skin because...drumroll please.... when you peel too many layers off, the sun works its harsh magic on that fresh, new, not yet protected skin much easier than on the older layers.  Duh. When you put it in plain English, it seems like common sense, right? This peel only takes the outermost layer of dead cells off- gentler than any commercial products that use (even natural) acids.

for my 1st attempt, not too shabby.  some areas are a bit thin, and some are a bit too thick, but it all worked fairly well anyway.

This is the fun/gross part: peeling! If an area was too thin, & just wants to crumble rather than peel away, just wet a washcloth with warm water and wash away.

Ingredients: 

 1 packet of UNFLAVORED gelatine (equal to 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons milk of any variety.

 I used powdered milk since we don't keep fresh in the house & it worked just fine.

A small easy to clean dish and some sort of applicator. You can use a spatula, popsicle stick, back of a small spoon, old makeup brush - though I wonder how easy the clean-up on the makeup brush would be- anything that will get the goop smeared onto your face.  I suppose you could even just use your fingers, but you'll need something to stir with anyhow, so why?

A microwave.

A Mirror. I did not think ahead- my microwave is in the kitchen. My mirror of choice? Bathroom. I nearly ran out of time to get this on my face because of walking from the kitchen to the bathroom. You really don't have much time before the gelatine sets- actually you have only about 15 seconds. That isn't much. So my suggestion that I'll try myself next time is to just heat your milk in the microwave, and add the gelatine once you are standing in front of the mirror. Or just bring a mirror into the kitchen.

1. Mix your gelatine powder with 2 TBSPs of milk. Don't take too long here, it will start setting up. Just get the job done, and don't worry about being perfect.

2. Pop it in the microwave for 10 - 15 seconds. It just needs to be warm so it doesn't send your pores shrieking... wait, your pores don't scream at the touch of something cold?! 

3. Smear as evenly as you can on your face. Start at the top and work down, while standing over a sink. 

You only have a few seconds to coat your entire face, so just throw it on, and let the sink catch any drips. Evening it out can be done as long as it isn't getting too firm- But even the areas where I had it on too thick worked fairly well, so don't drive yourself crazy. It just won't dry as hard/stick as much in the thicker areas. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. If you have sensitive skin, the sticking and peeling can make you tender, so less stick may work better for you.

4. Wait 15 minutes or so for it to dry. You'll know you've waited enough when your face feels more like a sculpture than a face. 

5. Peel, peel, peel! If an area was a bit too thin, and just wants to crumble, just wet a washrag and wipe off.It's pretty easy. I just did this right before I showered, so I just let the water wash the remaining bits away. 

6. Use witch hazel as a toner afterwards and then moisturize. Moisturized skin is happy skin!

Some things to consider:

Have everything ready- I really mean everything. Be standing where you want to stand to apply, as once you start mixing there is no going back, no pause, nada. Start mixing to you'd best have that where you want it time is about 20 seconds.

Moisturize your eyebrows before you start. Yeah, I didn't do that. OW! 

Speaking of-

Take care of any stray facial hairs FIRST. This is not the fun way to pull those.

Unflavored gelatine is stinky. Like fart in a public restroom stinky. The smell goes away fast as it cools down again, but man! Those 20 seconds can make your eyes cross.

Stand over the sink to apply.  1, you're gonna drip this everywhere as you race to get it on, and 2, the faster you get hot water running on your small container you mixed it in when you've finished applying, the easier it will be to clean up.

Keep a straw handy. You will not experience a thirst like the one you get when you can't move your mouth unless you stay out in the sun for hours and hours on end without any water. Nature is mean like that. And no, you really can't move your face when this is on, and you'll just feel silly if you try anyway and dribble (a lot) all down your shirt.

DON'T do this if you plan to go outside again. This is one of those things best done in the evening. You don't want to expose your freshly revealed skin to anything harsh like the sun or chemical SPF. Now you have the excuse you needed to take a long bath and read that book- you can't go outside and expose your baby soft skin to harshness... the internets told you so!